MODERN DAY HEROES – For years, hundreds of men and a few women from around the world have been fighting in Syria against ISIS, mostly as part of the Kurdish armed forces. Many of them had died what the Kurds consider to be a martyr’s death (to distinguish the ISIS way of martyrdom, which usually involves killing self in the process of killing defenseless civilians). They’re not doing it for money or for glory, but to help defend fellow human beings from an assault by one of the most evil and violent groups in existence today. Somebody has to make a stand to defend our civilisation and our way of life from barbarians, particularly since our governments have by and large abrogated the direct military option.

“I don’t fear being killed. It crosses your mind but it’s not something that scares me.”